Daegeum Sanjo(2015 & 2010)

Sanjo is a genre of folk music based on “heoteun garak (scattered melodies)” which pairs a melodic instrumentalist and a drummer in a virtuosic display of folk music performance mastery. Originally, sanjo was a performance type in which an instrumentalist would improvise within the framework of rhythmic cycles but these days sanjo pieces have become rather fixed in a form that has been cultivated over time. Most contemporary performers of sanjo play pieces faithfully as their teachers played and/or created them. Yet, recently, more and more performers have been creating new sanjo framed by the now-predictable structure of slow-to-fast rhythmic progression. There are many sanjo pieces for each instrument, with each piece associated with a particular master performer. Seo Yong Seok developed his own version of sanjo based on the melodic phrases learned from his teacher Juwan Han (1904-1944). This particular sanjo is known for remaining faithful to pansori characteristics, employing techniques of modulation and transposition for dramatic effect. The rattling effect of the vibrating thin rice paper (cheong) covering one of the holes as air pushes forcefully through the instrument is reminiscent of the sound of wind rushing through bamboo. The entire version of this sanjo lasts about one hour, and we will hear an abbreviated version today.

101217_Daegeum Sanjo @ roulette

Daegeum Sanjo in the Style of Master Seo Yong Seok

Master Seo Yong Seok developed his own version of sanjo based on the melodic phrases learned from his teacher Master Han Ju Hwan. Seok’s entire version takes about an hour to perform and is known for faithfully transferring the melodic characteristics of pansori, employing the great techniques of modulation and transposition which help to create a great dramatic expression that is not found in other versions of daegeum sanjo.